Fearlessness vs. Recklessness (Unwavering Confidence)

About a month ago I had the idea to design a sport psychology workbook. I've always been interested in this topic and I've enjoyed reading about and coaching it. I'm done my first draft and today I'm going to post a section from it. The goal of this workbook is to make a simple, effective and practical tool that any athlete could benefit from. An athlete could pick a section that interests them and in 5-10 minutes have a new idea or redesigned mental tool for their sport.

The sections I'm sharing today is titled 'Fearlessness vs. Recklessness (Unwavering Confidence).' It's basically about how some elite athletes are able to maintain their high level of self-belief regardless of recent struggles. I discuss examples from various sports and provide insights into how I have improved in this area over the years.

As of now the workbook is 21 sections and each section begins with my persona experience as an athlete and coach and an overview of the topic and then I conclude with a practical implication. These implication areas will guide you through developing or modifying that specific tool for your game.

The workbook is designed for athletes of any sport, even though my expertise is squash. Feedback is appreciated. It's just the first draft so I know there are still some parts missing. Even though incomplete I thought it would still be useful to post a section form it. I'm still unsure how I'm going to publish/post this workbook, so I will share this information when it's complete. Without further ado, here is section 8.

Section 8: Fearlessness vs. Recklessness (Unwavering Confidence)

An area that has to do with playing in the zone that’s worth mentioning is playing with unwavering confidence. How does a baseball batter go up to the plate and expect to get a hit if they’ve struck out their last few at bats, or if they are hitless over a number of games? How does a basketball player take a big shot when they’re having an off night and make it? The best athletes in the world have this unwavering confidence that most amateurs and even many professionals don’t possess. If an amatuer player with far less skill takes a big shot in a team sport after struggling all game do they, their teammates and coaches have the confidence that they will make it and that it was a right shot to take? Taking a shot without confidence will most likely be tentative and result in a missed shot. 

How does one gain this level of self-efficacy regardless of recent struggles? As they say, winning breeds confidence and as your skill increases your self-belief increases too. There also must be a correlation with making big shots and having the increased confidence to do it again, regardless of what has happened previously that day. I fully believe that the best athletes in the world have days and times where they’re low on confidence, but for the most part they have rehearsed certain plays and shots so frequently that they can execute more times than not in the clutch when the game is on the line. The main point from that last sentence is the mind, that they are not experiencing any self-doubt and that they continue to have positive self-talk and belief that the next thing they do is going to work, period. 

Clearly a lot of training must take place to reach this point as an athlete, but it’s also how you’ve been coached and how you practice. As already mentioned you need to have a lot of success and experience with winning. I’m mostly interested in how that athlete was able to attain the mental skills necessary to get to this winning mindset. When this athlete was younger and developing they must have made many mistakes trying to, for example take a difficult fade away jump shot. A more conservative and conventional player would always want to be set properly to take a higher percentage set-shot; this is what most coaches encourage and like to see; look for the highest percentage play that will yield the best outcome. Somewhere along the line that athletes must have practiced that difficult play over and over to make it higher percentage and to be able to execute it even when they’re having an offday. When you see someone struggling, but they execute in the clutch is a big reason why I love sports. Certainly there are other athletes that can make that same play, but fail to do so when the pressure is on and even more so when they've been struggling. 

I attempt to demonstrate a good balance as a coach between trying to get someone to play smart and technically sound, but also letting the athlete experiment and play around with what they can do. This is why in squash, as other sports too there are cultural differences in styles of play. Squash is actually a terrific example of this because most Egyptians are known as being creative and attacking while players from a country like England are known for being more attrional and structured. Egyptain squash has ruled the game at all levels recently yet somehow other countries aren’t able to adapt their style to their own athletes. Is this style and mental trait something that was learned and fostered when the current players were young? Is it instilled by their culture or by their peers and role models and coaches? Either way it is a lot of fun watching these contrasts in styles and I really appreciate the fearlessness they play with. Egyptian players for the most part have a more relaxed swing which I believe also contributes to being able to play the way that they do. If someone is nervous about playing a shot they tend to get tense and automatically think, ‘don’t mess up.’ When someone is thinking such a negative thought they are severely impacting their chance of executing a difficult skill under pressure. This is the outlook I try to have when playing now, play with confidence and expect the shot to go where I want it too. 

I understand that excess tension when performing a skill can have a detrimental impact on my performance and because of this I have designed a simple routine for when I notice this happening. If I play a shot that I am a bit too tense I simply shake out my hand afterwards as a reminder to relax and to stay loose. I have found this routine extremely beneficial to me, but again this is something that each athlete has to design for themselves. Another way to ease tension is simply by breathing. As mentioned earlier, focusing on your breath brings your attention back to the present, but a conscious deep breath can also physically relax you if you’re nervous or tense. 

I have one more point about this fearless unwavering confidence. As an athlete and coach I’ve always been analyzing my technique. It’s normal to always want to improve, but after playing a sport for 30 years my swing is pretty much my swing. A few years back I asked a mentor of mine for some feedback on my forehand swing and he told me that I should not be worried or even thinking about my swing anymore. Once he said this I started playing more free flowing and with a lot more confidence. Instead of thinking about how I was preparing and swinging for my shots I began simply thinking about where I want the ball to go. This was one of those moments that really improved my skill level and it was all between the ears once again. Now don’t misinterpret the value of technique, it’s just sometimes it’s overrated and being too overly conscious of it might just be what is holding you back. 

Questions to consider…

1. Are you afraid of making errors?
2. Do you tense up during pressure times of a match? 
3. Do you play to win or not to lose?
4. How does your most recent success impact your current confidence? 
5. What is your self-talk like when things aren’t going their best? Is it helpful or damaging? 
6. Do you use a conscious deep breath as a part of any of your routines?

Time To Make Some Notes About How To Play More Confident, Free Flowing and Positively 

• In the space below write out a detailed (it can be short and precise) routine that will help you relax and remove unwanted tension during competition.

My Removing Unwanted Tension Routine

I hope you enjoyed this section. I'd appreciate any feedback you may have. My email is info@SeriousSquash.com

Confidence Is Key

Confidence is something that anyone can possess and can make us perform better. You can see from people's body language and the way they conduct themselves on court if they are playing with confidence or not. Winning breads confidence, but losing is a part of sport so how does someone remain confident regardless of recent performances? If you've made a few mistakes on a certain shot do you change your shot selection or technique for the shot when that same opportunity presents itself? A confident player would continue going for this shot trusting the work they've put it and focusing on the process as opposed to the outcome. If your fight or flight response is flight I bet you're going to have some difficulty with confidence and the pressure of competition. I've compiled a list of 25 characteristics that a confident person posses when they are playing. How many describe your on court behaviour and performances?

Signs Of Confidence
1) decisive with their shot selection and makes good choices
2) positive body language
3) is proactive and makes things happen without forcing it
4) stays positive in challenging situations and can generally has a higher pain tolerance
5) focus' on what's under their control
6) doesn't need to wait to play well to feel and play with confidence
7) has a plan and sticks to it even when it's not going as planned
8) uses positive thoughts, images and self-talk
9) let's mistakes and bad calls go
10) hits the ball hard when it's appropriate
11) focus is balanced properly between internal and external taking in only the relevant external stimuli while tuning out the irrelevant stuff
12) refocus' quickly after lapses in concentration
13) stays relaxed in the big points
14) settles into the match quickly
15) generally serves quickly when winning and slows it down when losing but doesn't rush
16) is process oriented
17) does not make excuses
18) always competes and never gives up on a ball
19) is very coachable during matchplay
20) plays in the optimal balance between relaxed and highly aroused
21) is consistent
22) is well prepared
23) enjoys the challenge of competition
24) their thoughts stay in the present
25) they can adapt their tactics based on what's happened earlier in the match

Generally the opposite of all of the items on the above list mean you are fighting yourself, overthinking or lack confidence. I find when people are so focused on the result as opposed to the process they get too absorbed in each point and don't always play the right shot and fail to let go of a poor shot selection or a mistake. When this happens it can often build up steam and can compound the problems. When we become too internal with our thoughts we overthink and end up reacting to our opponent instead of concentrating on our gameplan. A confident player will generally be more consistent and will play better because their muscles tension is low, thoughts are clearer and put less stress on themselves.

The above list is a long one and it takes years and years of practice for most of us to learn how to exude confidence on the court. I see a lot of kids that get psyched out on court in the warm up watching their opponent. You don't need to be a level or two stronger than your opponent to be confident in your a ability. If you are well prepared for a tournament you have no reason to feel anxious about what may or may not happen. When we begin to think about the past or future we get ourselves into deep trouble.

So how do we keep our thoughts into the present, keep things simple and play with conviction? I think the first thing you can do is learn how to use your breathing to get your focus back into the present moment. We also need to learn how to let go of everything not in our control, be it the ref, opponent, ball, etc. I believe that process oriented practice and matchplay will produce the best results. If you want to continue to improve focus on playing the right shot and don't get upset about mistakes. Mistakes are a part of the game and I can always accept them. Making bad decisions is also a part of the game because there are so many decisions to be made on each shot so of course we will make a few bone headed choices over the course of a rally or match. The big thing is to not let these build up momentum. Mistakes are the most valuable learning tools for us as long as we eventually adjust.

I also feel that many people, including myself take competition too seriously which adds tension to your performance. I see some people are able to play with pure enjoyment and are able to stay more relaxed. If you can get back to just playing and having fun like you probably did when you were just starting you will also probably perform better. This is kind of a cycle. We want people that start squash to first have a lot of fun and eventually become serious about their training and development and often after years of this type of focus and effort they will become burnt out mentally. There is no need to consistently grind it out and I think keeping some fun stuff in practice can really help. Just because you play at a high level doesn't mean you shouldn't do silly things at practice sometimes. If it's a grind it will eventually wear you done.

I hope I gave you a bit of insight into this topic. The mental game is something that can either help or hinder your performance and love of the game. If you want to improve in some of these areas you need to spend time working on these skills just like any other part of your game. Trying harder is not always the answer and don't take losses personally. This is why I have produced a lot of squash gear focusing on positive thinking and on playing smarter, not harder. Check it out for yourself at SeriousSquashShop.com

Time for some not so serious squash :)

The Importance Of Constantly Working On Your Short Game

Today I posted a short video clip of me working on your short game. It's so vital to always work on your short game so you can hit the shots you want when they matter most. It's also important so you are confident in your ability to go short, especially on big points or after making an error!

As you get better in squash it becomes more difficult to go short because your opponents read the game better, are faster, hit it harder and tighter and the ball is usually warmer. This is why I spent a lot of time solo hitting working on my drops on the bounce and on the volley. I often practiced with a blue or red dot so the ball stays bouncy and even bouncier than it would be in competition. Here's the video clip of me playing some drops on the bounce. I'll post another one soon of me working on my volley drops and nicks. Enjoy!

I still make a few errors and my short game could still improve, but it has gotten stronger over the years. I remember about 15 years ago watching some top PSA players play and I noticed how much they cut their drop shots. The ball was so bouncy it was the only way they could get the ball to stay somewhat short on the court. I see many amateurs waste excellent opportunities because they have not spent the time grooving their short game swings. Don't be one of those players. Work on your short game all of the time and it will pay major dividends over the months and years.

On a closing note. I will be travelling to Europe in June (Belgium, France, Spain and maybe others). If your squash club is interested in setting up a clinic or an exhibition please contact me at info@serioussquash.com.

Psychologically Preparing To Win As The Underdog

Welcome back to Serious Squash! It's a busy time of year and my posts seem to be happening less frequently these days. I have not forgotten or given up on my side project. I have a lot of planned interesting topics on the horizon. Hopefully today will be an interesting one for all of you. Before I get into today's posts I should thank all of you over the past 19 months that have commented and written me emails about my posts and Serious Squash. I just reached 200,000 page views so I guess someone is reading what I write and finds it interesting. I hope I have got you thinking about squash more in-depth and most importantly I hope that I've helped improved some squash games along the way.

Today I'm going to talk about the psychology of playing who we perceive to be stronger players, perhaps even people we believe are out of our leagues. I don't think I can go a post without using a quote and this topic reminds me of this one, 'limitations live only in our minds.' I truly believe we are all capable of much more than we believe. In sports we often give our opponents too much credit and undervalue our own abilities and strengths. Today we are going to look at some ways to change our mindset to help us prepare for success even when we are a self declared underdog.

 I've played a lot of matches over the years. I've played as the underdog, the favourite and many that could have gone either way. It is no doubt easier psychologically going into a match as the underdog as we have nothing to lose. Although when I hear someone say this I do joking point out that 'you do have the match to lose!' Even though I'm joking I don't want a player going into the match thinking it's a forgone conclusion and there is nothing left to play for. If we go into a match believing that we are a major underdog and have no chance at winning, we might be wasting an excellent opportunity to improve, measure our game and perhaps even pull off a big upset.

Redefine Success: I remember often being nervous when I played someone I thought was better than me. Nobody wants to get embarrassed on the squash court. There's nowhere to hid if things aren't going your way. When I was young and playing a stronger player I would always try and protect my ego by saying that one day I will get to this level, I'm just not quite there yet. I feel like by doing this I didn't give myself the best chance of being successful at that moment. Maybe success wasn't winning the match, but perhaps success was something different, like proving that I belong. If we just keep telling ourselves this we will eventually be more focused on the future and missed out on wonderful opportunities in the current moment which we could have potential won.

Staying Focused On The Process: sometimes I found myself doing better than I expected in these matches and a few times I let near wins slip away. We see the light at the end of the tunnel and it distracts us. It can be much more challenging than it sounds, but when you're near the end you can't be thinking just that. When I got close to beating someone I thought was stronger than me I started thinking too much about the possibility of winning and beating this great player. Once we start to see the finish line or that we actually have a chance our focus often shifts and we lose the zone we were in that got us in this great position. Regardless of level I assume this has happened to all of us at some point. Maybe some of us undervalue our own ability, while other times our opponent is just not quite up to par that day and we have a real chance of winning. So how do we go in believing we can win? And how can we prepare ourselves psychologically to take advantage of these rare opportunities when they present themselves?

Anything Can Happen Mindset: when we go into a match as an underdog I know I often tried to do too much, thinking I needed to do something extra special to beat this person. When I did this, I simply gave my opponent free points and easy openings. We need to make these players beat us and prove that they are better than us on that day. Just because someone has more rankings points or has a more successful past, does not guarantee that they will be successful on this given day. Go in and play to win regardless of who you're playing! We play the game because anything can happen. This is why even you can bet on even the most lopsided sporting matches. It may not always happen, or even often, but it doesn't mean that it won't today.

Give 100% For Every Point of Every Match: Everyone has a physical and psychological breaking point, even those that seem indestructible! You never know when it could happen or who it could happen to, so you have to keep you head down and keep battling for each and every point. Someone may look great in the warmup, but as soon as they get into an extended rally you can tell that their game begins to show some cracks. Even if you lose that match, you may have been close than you thought. Maybe all it takes to crack through and get the big win is getting a good start or 1 or 2 extended rallies; maybe then the person you thought was on a pedestal is within your grasps. If you have any doubts just remember that your opponent does, they just may be better at hiding it.

Prepare For Competition To The Best Of Your Ability: all we can really do is prepare the best we can for competition. We can't worry about what our opponent has or hasn't done. If we're playing a player of a high caliber we may give them more credit than they deserve. You don't know how they are feeling and how well they have prepared. As the saying goes, 'failing to prepare, is preparing to fail.' If you've prepared for the match you have to believe you always have a chance. If you've prepared properly you should feel confident. If you've prepared you should also be able to withstand the extra running you may have to endure. I've seen many more technically skilled players lose because they weren't fit enough; this is why proper physical preparation for competition is so important to success.

Winning Breeds Confidence: sometimes it just takes a win against a top player to believe in yourself and your ability to compete at that level. The more chances you get to play a stronger player the more likely you are to get that win. Losing too much isn't good ether, but neither is winning all the time. The top players that always win will feel pressure to continue getting these flawless results. I think it's important to play against people weaker, stronger and at your own level. Many people prefer only playing people at their level or stronger, but it's against weaker opponents we learn how to handle that pressure of being the favourite and also get to work on closing out games/matches and controlling points. And as this subtitle goes, winning breads confidence, regardless of the opponents level.

Set Mini Goals: when playing a stronger player I like to set mini goals. Sometimes it will be to get a game, or get a certain amount of points. Other times it will be to extend the length of the match and the duration of the rallies. If I'm playing a stronger opponent I should always leave the court completely spent. Other goals I like to set include my tactics. I like to focus on something simple like getting my opponent behind me and off the T. I don't know many players that can consistently beat me from the back of the court. At the end of the match I really want to make sure that my opponent had to work hard for the win. I may be exhausted and have covered more court, but I want to see that they are tired too. If I can do this against a stronger opponent I will feel pretty satisfied with my progress.

Slightly Shift Your Tactics: today seems to be the day of quotes, so here's one more! 'The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.' In squash this isn't so straight forward. It's can be difficult to tell if we have the right ideas, but are just unable to execute them well enough. If you believe your tactic is right, keep trying it over and over. I see many people give up on their tactics, because they are trying to do too much to beat this superhuman player. Although if you keep trying the same type of game and it isn't working, maybe it's time to switch it up just a little. Sometimes 1 small change is all it takes. Changing your serve, the pace your hitting the ball or your shot selection can pay real dividends. Even strong players have areas that aren't as good as the rest; do you know what it is? Can you exploit it? Or maybe you've become too predictable and you need to try a new trick. Make sure you don't play outside of your ability though or you will be giftwrapping the match to your opponent.

So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this topic as it could really be an entire book or series of books all in itself. The mental game is something under-taught and difficult to measure. I know the toughest opponents I've ever faced were all fearless and always gave 100%; they didn't care who was on court with them or what the score was and they were always prepared for a battle. The good news is that being mentally tough and always giving 100% is a goal that is realistic for all of us, regardless of our skill level. If you want a good book about underdogs check out David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell. This book will probably get you to think twice about how we define underdogs and favourites. Here's the link to it on Amazon:

Thanks again to everyone for reading my blog and sending me feedback. If you have any suggestions for future posts please feel free to send them along. Working at a school I also have some flexibility in the months of June-August each year. If any of you would like me to run a squash camp at your club or come to you for some personalized coaching sessions feel free to send me an email. I've also recently started doing some private video analysis for some clients across the globe. I'm always looking for opportunities to expand my squash networking around the world. Please feel free to contact me at info@serioussquash.com for any topic post suggestions or business related inquiries.

King Of The Jungle Using Associative Imagery

Today I'm going to talk about how using imagery can improve your confidence, body language and demeanour and overall performance on the squash court. I've previously discussed the importance of imagery for visualizing yourself playing high quality and winning squash as well as handling challenging situations successfully. Today however I'm going to talk about a completely different use and type of imagery and for a separate purpose.

I was generaly a pretty quiet and polite person; yes being polite and a good person are Canadian qualities that can interfere with us playing our best squash. Many people (myself included) have been psyched out and our focus too external before and during a match. We think about how good our opponent is instead of focusing on our own game and what we can control. Sometimes in the match we go well out of our way to avoid contact with our opponent and apologize for hitting a good shot. There are many examples of these types of gestures that go on unnoticed. Most people if they do notice, would just say that it's good sportsmanship being displayed. Although this may be true, for me the issue is too much respect on general focus is displayed onto your opponent. I see many people (especially juniors) with their shoulders slumped and head down. You can read their negative body language and low self-efficacy a mile away.

I want to be clear here that I am not condoning arrogance or poor sportsmanships. But there is a line in between and I believe that most Canadians lie heavily on being overly polite and proper which hurts their squash game. In sports such as basketball we see, well hear trash talk from top players. This isn't what I'm condoning either, just an example of their outwardly competitive nature. My point is that this type of confidence and self-assurance goes along way towards playing to win and shows that you're not intimidated by your opponent.

In squash and tennis this doesn't happen. We say 'good shot' and apologize for hitting nicks, plus we give away strokes and hand outs lets if there is the slightest bit of interference. We almost feel bad for winning if we do and certainly don't want to bagel anyone. There is clearly a lack of aggression and confidence reflected with this type of behaviour.

So I bet you're wondering, how to draw that line and become more assertive, while still being a good sport? It can be done. Tiger Woods doesn't cheat, well not in golf anyways. And Tiger is ferociously competitive. The same can be said about Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan who were both known to talk a little trash; the greater their opponent the more they loved the challenged and wanted to go one on one with that person. They were well respected and didn't do it to show up their opponents, this is just their competitive nature which is what drove them to become legends. I would say the same goes for Ashour and Shorbagy as well as many of the top players, they just don't verbalize their thoughts and emotions but they certainly go on court with positive body language. This isn't always an easy thing to have if you have lost to someone before or after you lose a few points.

So how can you improve this part of your game? I like using associative imagery along with positive self-talk statements. It may sound silly to some of you, but try it and you'll feel bigger than your body and more confident going onto court. Here are a few images that you can visualize before or during your match.

Don't be afraid to express your emotions and play fearless. Nobody dares mess with a black bear. 

King Kong thumping on his chest is a very powerful image. Try doing this or imagine yourself doing this before you go on court. It can dramatically change how you think and feel about yourself and your game. Get your tail up, shoulders back, chest out and head up. Exude positive and winning body language.  

The king of the jungle takes no prisoners and doesn't back down to anyone no matter what. Even if you have to take on someone that is way out of your league the lion would never go down without giving it his all.

These are a few examples that I find quite powerful. Do you play like a lion? Or are you more like a turtle hiding its head in it's shell when the going gets tough? This is what normally happens to juniors. If you normally play like a dog with its tail between its legs maybe you need to be more ferocious and look to see what really lies inside of you. Do you want to win? How badly? Do you want to be the best you can be? Why do you train so hard and put in all that work? Just to hope you will win or to go out there and make it happen? If you want to play your best and exude confidence play like a giant and you'll feel like one.
If you are a quiet or introverted type of person this approach may be extremely beneficial to your game. Meanwhile if you are already an overconfident, arrogant person maybe you need to imagine yourself as some cool, easy going cat or person. For most people I've seen and coached I think getting more amped up and confident, getting your tail up type of imagery and self-talk would do them the most good.

Try and picture your primal instincts. Are you a fight or flight type of person? How do you instinctively react in challenging situations? If your instinctive response is flight you will likely need to work at this to get comfortable on court. I think this is something that can be learned and trained. So for those that feel uncomfortable in competition there is hope. Try using associative imagery and recite powerful statements about yourself. When I found myself doubting my ability I would think back to all of the years of hard work and hitting balls. I would tell myself that I had been preparing for this moment and to play squash my entire life. You can try this or something similar. At the very least going out and having a plan or just getting out of your own head and letting your natural ability take over is your best chance.

Again, I feel like I have to reassure people that there is a line here. You aren't doing this to intimidate, just to focus on your own game and that you are playing to win. Most of us are more concerned about our opponent and we get psyched out and don't let our true emotions show. Of course you have to be able to control your emotions and still play smart. Find a balance and find what works for you. You don't need to behave like John Mcenroe to be successful. Don't expect your opponent to give you the game, go out and win it. Take no prisoners.

Wanting to be the best is normal and a healthy way to think and has driven many to the top of their field; they didn't become the best by accident or by hoping they would, they knew they would. They had the desire, belief and confidence in their ability. You have to believe that you can and will win to become a champion. Play within the rules, play fair, play with confidence, back down to no one, play to win, play fearless and play like a beast!

Believe In Yourself

Today I'm going to talk about self-efficacy, self-confidence, positive thinking, believing in yourself and how this leads to success in all areas of life, on and off the squash court. Can you really fake it till you make it? Do you believe you can win each tournament you play? If you've lost to someone previously, how can you go in believing you can win? How can you learn to see yourself as a winner? Besides winning what other ways can you build a person's confidence? When in a challenging situation do you give up or get up?

Let's take an example here. Two players are at the same level, perhaps identical technically, tactically and physically. One of these players completely believes they can win, they expect and know they will, while the other just hopes they do and will see how it goes. Who would you bet on? When the player who is confident in their ability gets into a challenging situation they will pick it up and stay positive because they have an unwavering self-efficacy that they will be successful. Clearly the person that believes they be successful has a much higher probability of actually doing this. If you're the one that lack self-confidence in your ability to be successful how can you change this? How can you hold yourself to a higher standard and be tougher psychologically? How can you play every point, game and match to win regardless of your opponent?

Quickly, I should mention what self-efficacy is. Self-efficacy is the confidence that you can accomplish a task or a goal. Dr. Albert Bandura built a self-efficacy model many years ago that divides it into 3 core components: vicarious learning, mastery experiences and social persuasions. Vicarious learning is gained by using someone similar as a model.

Let's look as some examples of these core components. If nobody thought they could beat Ramy Ashour and then all of the sudden James Wilstrop beat him, other guys on the tour would have a bit more belief that they could do this as well. They may look at how Wilstrop beat Ramy and build their gameplay around this. So even though this person has never beaten Ramy before, if they are similar to Wilstrop's level they will have gained some confidence in their peers result. In a similar example, let's say Ramy was playing Wilstrop. Wilstrop gets a good start and a lead in the first game, and maybe even wins the first game. This gives James some believe that he can beat Ramy. Of course if Wilstrop beaten Ramy in a full match previously he would be much more confident that he could do it again. Social persuasion is reassurance and belief from people around you that you can accomplish your goal. A lot of players need to hear this because they lack self-efficacy. If you keep hearing that people believe in your ability and that you can be successful, this can have a positive influence on your self-confidence.

So how can you believe in your ability to be successful if you haven't been? How do you stay positive and upbeat regardless of what happens? I believe that you should always play to win, but to improve your chances of winning your focus should not be solely on the outcome. If you believe you can win you won't get discouraged when you face obstacles such as a bad call, or a injury timeout, the ball breaking, or losing a few straight points or even the first 2 games. Look at these as challenges; the tougher the challenge the more meaningful it would be to overcome. If you don't win, well you have to believe that they next time you will. This unwavering confidence is an attitude that extends beyond the squash court. If you believe you'll get that job or that the girl will say 'yes' when you ask her out, you will probably be right. And even if you're incorrect, that doesn't mean you won't be right next time.

I had a lesson this weekend with someone that is very talented. This person has great racquet skill, but doesn't believe that he will be successful. I asked him to repeat after me, 'I will win the Canadian Junior Open.' Let's just say he didn't convince me. The point was not that I think he can win, just in the way he says I can do this and achieve something great. This got me thinking, how many of the kids going to the Canadian Junior Open actually believe they can win? There are only 8 divisions and just 8 winners. But surely more than this believe they can win. If you believe you can win when you go to a tournament, even if you don't win you will be one tough out. This was the point I was trying to make. There are less talented kids going to this event and expecting to do well and win. Losing has damaged his confidence, so how do you rebuild it?

The first thing I recommended is believing that you can win this single point. Don't get ahead thinking about the whole tournament or match. Regardless of who you play, you can beat anyone in 1 rally, even Ramy! So play to win this point and believe you can. If you don't say something positive and tell yourself you can win this one. This is a good method for staying in the moment and not getting ahead of yourself. The tougher your opponent the more difficult this will be. But it is humanly possible, win this point and then the next. Maybe in the end you'll lose on paper, but you may just have played the best squash of your life by believing and fighting for every point. With this attitude you will begin to have more success and will eventually have a mastery experience that will bolster your self-efficacy. Never give an inch, even when you're down game or match ball. If you want to know more about that, read this previous post http://www.serioussquash.com/2014/10/never-give-up.html

If we look back to Bandura's model, social persuasion is another positive way we can believe in our ability. This is why I feel it's always important to tell people what they are doing well, not just the areas they need to correct. I believe in my athletes and let them know that I do. If we give them this support and they know we believe in them it will help. Be positive and if you need to give some constructive criticism, put a positive spin on it.

There is one area here that I should clarify. You can be successful every time you play. Although we normally define success as winning and losing, it's the process which leads to this. I don't expect people to play any better than their ability, but to play their game and try their best. If you can do this for an entire match you can never lose in my eyes. This is hard for most of us to see. Try and concentrate on playing the right shot and continually making good decisions. If you do this, but make a few mistakes on your shots, that's fine. Sometimes we all make a mistake in our execution, but continue playing the right shots and you will overall be more successful. So yes, I've just talked about believing in yourself and that you should play to win. But now I am saying focus on the process and don't think about the outcome. Which is it?

Believe you can win, play to win, but don't put the pressure on yourself that you have to win. All of us that play squash will lose matches every so often. If we don't we aren't playing healthy competition. So we all need to learn how to believe we can win even after we don't. Go out an expect to play well, don't wait to play well to believe that you will. Confidence should come first and you can see it in the knock up (as I discussed the other day here http://www.serioussquash.com/2014/11/the-knock-up.html) and in a person's body language.

Learning to focus on the process is an important trait for playing consistent squash and for continuing your development as a squash player. I like asking my athletes what their strategy is? How do they like playing? When are they most successful? To play your best you need to be in the zone. When you're in the zone you can't be thinking about the past or the future. To be in the zone means to be completely absorbed in the present task. You can imagine how challenging this is to do if you're not happy with how you're playing. This is when you have to give yourself a break and have a short memory; just move on to the next point.

If you're an attacking player you will likely make a few mistakes. Look at Ramy in the finals of the World Championships. In the first game he made about 6 unforced errors against the #1 ranked player in the world. Did Ramy stop playing his game, nope! And he someone won this game. I've heard Ramy talk about how he has to fight the negative thoughts, the demons when he plays. Because he knows for him to play his best and be successful he has to keep the attack on, even after a few mistakes. You need to have a short memory, especially after you make some unforced errors or lose a match. If Ramy got tense he wouldn't have such soft hands and immaculate touch. Ramy needs to stay loose and confident no matter what or else he wouldn't play his game. If you want to play attacking squash you have to be able to stay confident and positive to play this style effectively.

I've covered a few interesting topics today. Self-efficacy and focusing on the process of the performance. Just because you haven't beaten someone before doesn't mean you won't in the future. I remember one match when I was in university and I was beating who I thought was a better player. I noticed in the 3rd game he wasn't moving right and seemed to be having some trouble with his back. I didn't keep the pressure on and let him back into he match. I eventually lost and he asked me after what happened. And I recall saying that I just didn't think I deserved to beat him yet. I didn't think I was good enough, but there I was in a winning position and I let it get away. I was in the zone and had him down and out. I can say that I did get my win a couple of years later. Although what happened at the previous tournament was disappointing it was a learning experience. I learned my lesson and it hasn't happened again since.

Last quick story. When I was a kid I remember being asked to visualize myself play. I was never able to see myself hitting good shots and winning. I don't know what it was, but I would see myself hitting loose shots and losing rallies. I don't know if this was because I had low self-confidence or that I just wasn't good at visualizing yet. I was pretty successful and a good junior but I couldn't visualize myself playing winning squash. Looking back this is something that I should have continued working on and trying to change. Instead I just didn't do it because I couldn't do it properly. I do believe that visualization is another method to improve your self-efficacy. If you can see yourself in your minds eye playing well you are more likely to go out and do so.

Do you always need to have success before you acquire confidence? Dr. Bandura and I don't believe so, but it certainly helps. Once upon a time the 4 minute mile was thought to be impossible until Roger Bannister broke it. The following year a bunch of people did. Seeing Bannister break this proved to others that it was possible. But how did Bannister do it in the first place? He proved that just because it hasn't been done, doesn't mean it won't. Play to win, focus on the process, believe in yourself no matter what and you will be more successful and a much tougher opponent.